It’s not always easy to bring something new to the table when it comes to travel agencies, but Original Travel manages to do just that.
The company was founded in 2003 by former journalist Tom Barber, along with a couple of friends. Back then, the idea was to do “Big Short Breaks” that would make the most of a long weekend – from seeing the northern lights in Sweden to desert crossing in Morocco – all while being back in time for work on Monday. While elements of this still remain, two decades on the business has evolved into a sophisticated, bespoke travel agency.
Eschewing off-the-shelf packages and excursions, Original Travel instead designs a customer’s itinerary from scratch, and has local concierges on standby to respond to spontaneous requests. This 100 per cent tailor-made approach means that a client’s individual wants and needs are accommodated, with extra-curricular activities easily taken care of. In fact, in 2025, 10 of the firm’s travel consultants were recognised in Condé Nast Traveler’s Top Travel Specialists list.
And the destinations? Well, it’s a veritable smorgasbord of wanderlust. Itineraries are separated into “destinations” and “collections”, the latter ranging from family breaks to luxury honeymoons. A preliminary scroll can easily lead to mentally planning your dream bucket list excursion; whether it’s a road trip across America, months-long continent hopping across the Southern Hemisphere, or spending Christmas with the family in Finland. Or, to bring it back to the origins of Original Travel, how about a jam-packed city break to Copenhagen?
A journalist by trade working for the likes of GQ and Tatler, Barber is a passionate and seasoned traveller and has been exposed to all kinds of trends in the industry over the years. One that stands out and resonates on a personal level is train travel. So much so that Original Travel launched its first dedicated train travel brochure this year, after initially producing a portfolio of train-only trips in 2020:
‘We realised you can get to an astonishing array of places in Europe within 48 hours from St Pancras,’ he explains. ‘Without Eurostar, none of this would be possible… [but] now you can jump on the train in London and be in the heart of Transylvania two mornings later, hopping off at the station in Brasov, where you are half an hour away from where bears and wolves and lynx still roam.’
The company has noted that train bookings have shot up 37 per cent compared to this time last year, with enquiries up an incredible 125 per cent from 2023. Eco-tourism is a large part of the business model, and Original Travel claims to absorb 100 per cent of the carbon generated by clients’ flights and ground transportation via reforestation projects.
There are various reasons for this surge in popularity, but actively choosing a more leisurely pace and environmentally friendly option rank high. Travelling by train also offers unique insights into different countries and cultures, with just as many comprehensive and alluring itineraries available; whether it’s a low-key city break (London to Milan) or grand tours that traverse entire countries (Prague to Budapest, Singapore to Bangkok or the whole of Japan with the option of hopping over to South Korea).
‘Train travel is a much better way to immerse yourself in the country because you see so much more of the landscape.’ Barber explains, ‘It’s the definition of the adage that travel is as much about the journey as the destination, so we are thrilled to see – and service – this travel trend.
Gemma Billington is a writer and editor who splits her time between London and Kent
